


Why he Rots

by parkerisdead



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Cotard's Syndrome, Insomnia, M/M, Mentions of Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-09-15 02:04:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9214211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkerisdead/pseuds/parkerisdead
Summary: Sleeping makes him rot faster.(I got part of my idea from In the Upstairs Window by edy. Sort of. I credited them just in case.)





	1. Teaser.

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [In the Upstairs Window](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8013013) by [edy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/edy/pseuds/edy). 



Sleep is important. Tyler wasn’t “one for sleeping,” according to him. He said that sleeping made him rot faster. People stopped talking to Tyler. If someone did happen to talk to him, after just a few minutes they would be convinced that he was insane. Tyler wasn’t crazy, he was just dying faster than the rest of us. He said that he smelled of rot and not to touch him, out of fear of falling apart. Tyler wasn’t crazy, not that there would be anything wrong with that.  
Tyler’s mother was afraid of him. She said that she had not raised a demon. Tyler’s mother was strange. She brought him food, he refused to eat. She told him that he smelled like death and that he should shower. He told her that he knew and that showering would melt his flesh. Tyler’s mother stopped bringing him food. Tyler was left alone.  
Jenna got Tyler to leave his house on occasion. Jenna would wash Tyler while he slept, and Jenna knew that he would drink smoothies. Jenna took care of Tyler, and never told him that he wasn’t dying. Jenna knew how old Tyler was. Tyler was twenty-seven, so he was near the age that you lose cells faster than you can replace them. Jenna never told Tyler this. Jenna introduced Tyler to Joshua.  
Joshua liked to sleep. Joshua slept a lot, he said that he did so because he was sad. Joshua said that he wanted to die. Tyler decided not to tell him that he didn’t, that dying was scary. Tyler didn’t tell Joshua that he was dying, until now.


	2. Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler tells Josh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, I can't write. I don't know what I'm doing. :)

They were playing Rocket League when Tyler decided to tell him, and Josh had just won. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time, Josh seemed happy. Tyler did it anyway.  
“Hey, Josh?” he mumbled once Josh had stopped cheering.  
“What’s up?” Josh was accepting, that was how he was raised, so Tyler didn’t have many doubts.  
“You can tell that I’m dying, right?” Joshua quirked a brow, sniffling a bit. He had come down with a cold, and refused to get out of bed.  
“Um.. I guess we all are, y’know?” his demeanor had changed completely, the adrenaline from the match had worn off. “It’s the only thing we need to do. We need to die, it’s the only thing I consider being a part of life.” Tyler nodded, blushing.   
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I’m dying really fast, Josh. I’m rotting.” at this point Joshua was just more confused, Tyler didn’t seem sick. “Josh, how can’t you tell? My skin, it’s falling off, Josh.”  
“Tyler, I’m looking at you right now. Your skin is all in place, you look good. Or, as good as you can with bad hygiene…” he blushed, looking at his hands. Josh had issues communicating at times. “You… you look more alive than I do. I don’t think that you’re rotting at all.” Tyler nodded, staring at Josh. “I don’t understand you, Tyler.” Tyler shrugged, rubbing over his eyes.  
“I’m- I’m gonna get a RedBull…” he mumbled, moving to stand before Josh grabbed his arm. Tyler squeaked, looking at him, “What…?”  
“Tyler, I believe you. I don’t see it, I don’t know how you think. I get it.” Tyler shook his head, picking at the sofa with an unfamiliar expression on his face. “I trust you, Tyler. Just… just don’t try to tell me what I see.” Tyler was confused, he wasn’t trying to convince Joshua of anything, he was just telling him what he knew. He knew that he was rotting, he knew that he was dead. No one else could see it, they didn’t understand. Tyler was just letting Josh know.  
Tyler stood up, avoiding Josh’s eyes, and walked to the kitchen. The air was thick in the living room, he needed to get out. He rested his arms on the counter, the cool surface burning his forearms. It was too much, everything was too much. His skin felt tight, he knew that it was just in his head. Skin that’s falling off, decaying, can’t cling to anything. He shook his head, opening the fridge and grabbing a can of RedBull. He wasn’t used to people talking to him the way that Joshua did. It scared him, the fact that Josh seemed to understand without understanding. He understood, but he didn’t know. That was how Tyler looked at it, anyway. He got a spoon from Josh’s drawer, pushing the end of it under the tab and pulling it up. Tyler sighed softly, watching the cold come from the can in waves, and put the spoon back in the drawer.  
“Tyler? When was the last time you slept?” Josh asked, now standing in the entrance to the small kitchen. Tyler felt cornered, like a small animal. He shook his head, shrugging, and backing up to the edge of the counter once again. He stared at Josh with wide eyes, expecting him to be upset.  
“I- I dunno. It doesn’t really matter, does it?” it was Josh’s turn to shake his head sighing. He felt bad for Tyler, but he had no reason to. Josh didn’t take good care of himself, either. Why did he expect Tyler to?  
“It does matter, Ty. You look like crap. Have you even showered since you left here last week?” Tyler frowned, looking at the wall behind Josh’s head. It was the ugliest shade of yellow that he’d ever seen. It was obvious that Tyler was ignoring Joshua’s question. “Tyler, I don’t care if you’re dead or alive. I don’t care if you think that you’re decaying! All I ask, all I ask, is that you take care of yourself!” Tyler flinched, rubbing at his eyes.  
“I’m fine, Josh, I’m okay.” Josh scoffed, closing his eyes.  
“Tyler, I think that you should stay here for a while.”


	3. TacoMan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tyler ate. neato.

“Tyler, I think that you should stay here for a while.” Tyler blinked, stopping all movement. He and Joshua had only been friends for a month or so, so why did he feel the need to take care of him? Tyler was fine on his own, he didn’t have the same needs as others.  
“Why? I’m here almost everyday anyway… what’s the difference?” Joshua sighed, shaking his head. Tyler wasn’t taking care of himself, Josh just wanted him to be healthy.  
“You’re staying here for a bit, okay? We can go back to get your stuff tomorrow… please, Tyler.” Tyler huffed, pushing off of the counter. He grabbed his drink, walked up to Josh with a small pout and wrapped his arms around the older man.  
“I’ll stay. If you actually smile. I’m going to make you happy.” that was sappy as hell, Tyler would admit that much. He’d only seen Josh smile a few times, he was determined to prove to him that dying wasn’t fun. Whether he believed that Tyler was dead or not.   
“I guess… I guess we have a deal.” Josh said quietly, hugging Tyler back.

It had been a few days since Tyler agreed to spend some time with Josh. They picked up some of his things, and Tyler was set up in Josh’s tiny spare room. It was more than enough room to accommodate his needs. Josh kept apologizing for how little space he had, but Tyler was just glad that he wasn’t alone anymore. He was currently making Josh dinner, since he hadn’t eaten anything but Ramen for the whole time that Tyler had been there. He knew that that couldn’t be healthy. Josh wasn’t due home from work for an hour or so, so Tyler had some time. Sort of. He wasn’t sure what Josh liked, so he called Jenna and she brought over a taco kit and some hamburg. Tyler was going to figure this out. He really wanted Josh to eat something worthwhile, even if it wasn’t the most healthy thing out there. He had some lettuce.   
Tyler had almost finished setting little bowls of condiments (toppings? fillings?) on the table when Josh pulled in. He squeaked, deciding to just put the bag of hard shells on the table. Why bother making it look fancy? He just wanted Josh happy. Josh pulled the door open, already kicking off his shoes, he hadn’t even noticed Tyler yet. “Joshie, I have a present for you.” Tyler said quietly, picking at the edge of his phone case.  
“Huh- Oh my gosh. Tyler, wait, you did that?” Tyler nodded sheepishly, looking at the table. “You made supper… holy crap. Thank you, Ty.” Tyler blushed, smiling up at him with wide eyes, as if he thought that Josh would be mad at him. Josh smiled back at him, finally walking over to the table where Tyler was. “Can I hug you?” Tyler didn’t usually like physical contact, so Josh always had to ask.  
“Yeah, you can.” Joshua’s smile grew, and he pulled Tyler into his arms. He couldn’t help but notice how small he was getting, seeing as he barely ate. He thought he had no need to. That scared Josh. He just wanted to help Tyler, but he didn’t know how. It was all pretty anxiety inducing honestly. “Josh?” Josh hummed to show that he was listening, not really feeling like talking. “Are you gonna eat?” Josh sighed softly, nodding.  
“Only if you do, Tyler.” Tyler whined, pulling away to cross his arms.  
“Not fair.” Tyler mumbled, pouting. He was going to do anything that he could. Eating made him sick. Tyler didn’t like being sick. He didn’t need the food like Josh did. Tyler was dead. “Josh, I ‘on’t even need it.” Josh rolled his eyes.  
“Tyler, you do need it. Because I said so. So eat.” Josh frowned, sitting down at the table. “Besides, there’s no way in hell that I could eat all of this anyway.” Tyler dragged another chair across the floor, still pouting. “So, are you going to eat? Please, Tyler.” Tyler sighed, grabbing one of the taco shells. To that, Josh grinned.  
“Oh shut up. I’m doing this for you. Don’t think that this is going to happen often. Food makes me sick.” Josh giggled, grabbing a shell himself. Tyler smiled, getting up to grab himself a plate, since he only got one for Josh. “It’s probably not going to be that good, I haven’t actually made food in forever.” Josh tsked, already taking a bit out of his taco, having stuffed it while Tyler got his plate.  
“I think this is the best taco I’ve ever had,” Josh mumbled through a mouthful of food. Tyler wrinkled his nose, sitting back down next to Josh. He added a small amount of meat and cheese, topping it off with salsa and having a half empty shell. “Tyler, that’s probably not enough. I don’t want to push you, but at least fill your taco,” Tyler complied, putting some lettuce and tomato on top. Josh nodded in approval, taking another bite of his own taco.  
“I don’t see why this is so important to you, dude,” Tyler mumbled, staring at his plate.  
“Because I want my best friend to be healthy. I don’t see anything wrong with that, buddy.” Tyler frowned and broke a piece off of his shell and put into his mouth. “Hey, you aren’t even tasting how well it came out, c’mon man. Actually take a bite, for me?” Tyler sighed loudly, taking a small bite out of his taco, looking at Josh. “Thank you, Ty. I’m proud,” he grinned, nudging him with a shoulder while he took another bite of his own food.  
“Are you happy now, Josh? Jesus…” Tyler mumbled after swallowing, taking a swig of RedBull.  
“I’m glad, yes. Now eat,” he grinned cheekily, poking the tip of Tyler’s nose with a blunt fingernail.  
“You could have scratched me, man.” Josh let out a loud laugh and shook his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am painfully aware of how short my chapters are. just dont hurt me. s'all good here.


	4. Jenna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's really leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i literally hate myself for how short and far apart updates have been. i have no excuses. sorry.  
> -alphonse

Tyler opened the door and took a deep breath before looking in. Josh was sitting on the bed, he had his head in his hands and yellow hair weaving through his fingers. “Josh..?” Tyler asked quietly, not wanting to scare him. Josh looked up, furrowing his eyebrows.  
“Why are you here, Ty?” Josh shifted his weight, visibly uncomfortable. How was Tyler supposed to explain that he was worried? Surely that would be weird, and make Josh even more uncomfortable.  
“You missed your alarm… I wanted to check up on you…” Tyler whispered, picking at a hangnail. Josh nodded and crossed his legs, forcing a little smile. He didn’t want Tyler to worry about him, he was okay. “Do you, uh, want me to go?” Tyler asked and shuffled his feet, chewing on his upper lip. Josh looked at him, seemingly looking through him.   
“What- oh, no. Sit down?” Josh seemed hesitant, maybe he was embarrassed. He probably didn’t even know. “Wanna play Rocket League?”   
Josh quit his job. He wasn’t happy where he was working, so he called his boss. That was why he ignored his alarm. He probably should have explained that to Tyler, so he wouldn’t have worried so much. But instead, Tyler continued to think that Josh was bored of him and that he was avoiding him. Joshua, however, didn’t notice how worried he was.   
Jenna came to visit the next day, she brought Tyler a smoothie. They talked about Jenna’s new job and how she was going to visit her family for a few weeks. Tyler pretended that he wasn’t upset about that. “That’s so good, Jenna! I know how much you miss them…” then Josh, who actually left his room, changed the subject. Tyler silently thanked him more than once. It’s not like he wasn’t happy for her, of course he was! However, Jenna took care of him! She brought him smoothies, and visited when he needed to talk, she didn’t force him to leave the house. He loved Jenna, and now she was leaving him. It wasn’t fair.  
“Why don’t we all just watch a movie?” Joshua suggested, smiling. He wanted to make Tyler feel better, but had no idea how. They didn’t spend enough time together. Josh was a little happy that Jenna was going away for a while, that meant that he could spend time to figure Tyler out, to actually become friends with him. They never talked anymore, which was Josh’s fault, but he was determined to change that. “Or maybe we can binge watch The Office?” So they did. They watched until Jenna had to leave, until Tyler decided that he needed to get out of Josh’s hair.  
“I guess I’m going to head to my room now… no reason to stay out here,” Josh looked hurt, but Tyler assumed that he was reading him wrong. Josh bit his lip, and got up as well.  
“Can’t we just talk for a little while? It’s okay if you don’t want to, I know how annoying I can be…” at this point Tyler was barely holding back a grin, picking at a spot on his chin that was beginning to bleed. He nodded quickly, sitting back down beside Joshua, who watched the cushion sink down below Tyler’s thighs.   
“What do you want to talk about?” They talked for at least two hours, about the way Tyler saw himself, about Josh’s depression, about the formation of the universe. They went to their rooms feeling better than when they left. Jenna packed her bags and boarded her plane. Josh slept for twelve hours.


End file.
